America’s Crisis and the Presidential Campaign

America is in a state of crisis as violence continues to plague the country. Many are wondering if the recent events will change the presidential campaign. This has been a week of unwarranted killings by the hands of law enforcement as well as angry citizens. Things are so bad that people are being “forced” to choose what side they are on as if they cannot hurt for bloodshed on all sides of the spectrum. Unfortunately, America’s crisis will not change the presidential campaign.

African-Americans believed that the perspective of the nation was on an incline with the election of the first black president. However, whenever he spoke out with an empathetic heart concerning the events that plague the country’s African-American citizens, he was quickly shot down. Sadly, the country is in such a state of division that they do not really want a leader who seeks to unify instead of divide. The disunity of the nation is the driving force of the crisis that seemingly has no end.

It is no secret that many of today’s voters feel their hands are tied when it comes to the upcoming election. The pending vote has, for a great deal, been relegated to the lesser of the two evils. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton both have a series of “strikes” against them when it comes to leading the country forward, and it has become somewhat difficult to decide who will cause the least destruction to the already tragic state the country has found itself. However, the crisis of America will not change the presidential campaign.

Both nominees have caused a further divide in the country. It is no longer a matter of Republican versus Democrat; it has now been reduced to which candidate can adequately represent a nation on the heels of self-destruction. While Trump has yielded a great deal of his efforts toward immigration and handling outsiders, the recent shootings have been triggered from within as opposed to without. Clinton has sought to appease African-Americans throughout her campaign but refused to answer direct questions relative to the recent murders of Alton Sperling and Philando Castile.

Parts of the country view the killings of black men as proof of a biased criminal justice system, while others support the actions of law enforcement as those who bear the responsibility of protecting society. Although this divide echoes the Clinton-Trump split among voters, the crisis will not change the presidential campaign. President Obama has not been shy when speaking out about the country’s divide; however, due to the psychotic state of many Americans, his words have been met with criticism. When seeking to bridge the gap, Obama said:

This is not just a black issue. It is not just a Hispanic issue. It is not just a blue issue. This is an American issue that we should all care about. All fair-minded people should be concerned.

The fiber of America is in disarray, but the view voters have of the presidential candidates are so negative that it is doubtful that the recent murders will change the public’s perceptions of Trump or Clinton. Meanwhile, innocent people have been gunned down and people are crying out for help. All life is precious and each of these tragedies needs to be thoroughly investigated in an open and transparent manner that results in justice for the victims.

While families of those in blue are consumed with fear as their loved one goes to work each day, wondering if they will return home, this crisis is and has been an overwhelming concern for African-American families for decades. The issue facing the country now is when people are fed up with being mistreated and not handed justice, they take things into their own hands. The MLK generation has “faded to black” and the Malcolm X generation has risen to the forefront. Their creed is:

By any means necessary!

America’s crisis may not change the presidential campaign, but it is time for citizens to come together, spread love and fight for change; without it, things will get drastically worse. As hope decreases, violence will increase and blood will continue to spill in the earth. In many corners of the country and across the globe, the country’s crisis has been met with love, compassion, and sympathy as people from all lifestyles join in mourning. Even still, hate has always found a way to slide through the cracks, but when given the chance love will always prevail.

Opinion by Cherese Jackson (Virginia)

Sources:

Prescott Valley Tribune: Editorial: In tragedy, we should all ask, ‘Where is the love?’Los Angeles Times: Will the violence across America change the presidential campaign?Slate: More Guns, More Fear, More Killings

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3 Responses to "America’s Crisis and the Presidential Campaign"

So how do you get the notion that a vote for Donald Trump is a vote for the “lesser of two evils”?
Please tell me what he has said and or done that in any way suggests he could hurt this country.
Please use exact quotations.
He is the most qualified person to run for that office in the last 40 years. He is a true patriotic American, You are a complete idiot for not doing your homework on Donald Trump.
Compare his actual quotes with what the mainstream media is saying he said…You have to be a sucker and a lazy one at that, to formulate your erroneous opinion based on the liberal news media perspective and narrative and communist/socialist Democrats and Republicans hearsay. Shame on you.

Reading is a gift often forfeited. The article does not lean towards any presidential candidate and does not say Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton is the lesser of the two evils. Shame on you for not reading with an open mind before attempting to argue an unnecessary and irrelevant thought.